Project M
by GodShipping
Summary: (Pre-Xenoblade Chronicles universe, Xenoblade spoilers) Orbiting around the Earth is a space station full of various professionals that are all collaborating on Project M. The two heads of this project are working against an impending deadline, and their time is running out in more ways than one.
1. Chapter 1

The soft clacking of keys echoed down the dark empty hall.

The space station was asleep; all except for one, who was in the main programming room. The normally organized and sterile room was dimly lit from the one monitor, illuminating the man's face as well as some disorganized papers on the console and floor around him. A few boxes and snack wrappers were scattered about as well, a man can't work on no food of course. He leaned forward, slouching worse than normal as he inspected lines upon lines of code. Something had been entered wrong and he needed to find it as fast as possible. His azure eyes flicked to a crumpled paper tossed to the side of his keyboard. If one tried, they could still make out the words "NOTICE" in bold red print, as well as "cancellation" and "reduced funding" in smaller black print further down on the page. There was no way in hell he was going to give up, to let all his- all _their_ hard work go to waste; even if he had to work 23 hours a day every day until the deadline. He at least needed a nap once in a while, it would be foolish to think otherwise. The others on this project were hard workers too, he sometimes needed to remind himself, and he knew that with **everyone**'s combined effort, this could be completed.

**Everyone.**.. A figure flashed in his mind, a woman with mid-back length hair wearing a lab coat with a red dress underneath. He hadn't seen her as much lately, though he had been distracted to be fair. He needed her help most of all; she was fast and clever and the only other supervisor on the project.

_*CLANK* _

He was stirred from his thoughts by a sound from down the hall. He shuffled the papers on the floor into a pile with his foot and made his way to the break area. A warm cup of coffee might do him some good anyway, his eyes were starting to cross from the lines upon lines of E.T.H.E.R., the special code that was written specifically for this project.

As he rounded the corner, he saw her. She was gingerly shutting a cabinet door in an attempt to keep noise to a minimum, and shushing the machine as it steamed and brewed half a pot full of delicious fresh coffee. He breathed in the aroma and sighed a, "Thank god," as he walked to the sink to grab a clean mug. The woman jumped aside, clearly startled. Not expecting anyone, least of all- "Klaus! What.. what are you doing?"

"Shouldn't I be asking the same?" he mumbled vaguely in her direction as he poured sugar and coffee into his mug simultaneously, topping it off with creamer and stirring it lightly with one of those inconveniently tiny straws.

"Well I..." She was stopped by his hand gesturing for her cup, which she uneasily handed over and he filled for her; thinking to herself, _how uncharacteristically nice_...

He stared at her as he held the half-full cup out. "Take it. Thank you... For making the coffee." He cupped his mug with both hands and took a drink of the warm life-giving liquid, pausing after to remind her, "You never answered the question."

She furrowed her brow and took the cup, muttering a thanks and reminding him that he didn't answer her first, as she took a sip.

He grimaced, '_how can anyone drink coffee plain...'_ he thought. He turned and began walking back to the large room where the code and his snacks were waiting for him. "Couldn't sleep. Decided to get some work done."

She walked after him.

She knew he was lying, he always looked away when he lied. She also knew how much it stressed him out; the news that the station was being shut down at the end of the month. They had all protested, but there was nothing to be done. "Me too... I mean, I was so tired this afternoon I went to bed early so I thought I should get up and finish what I can..." she explained as they entered the control room, the door wooshing shut behind them as they approached the wall of monitors.

He nodded, and began compiling his mess of papers into a single pile on the console, shuffling the empty wrappers to the trash can and settling back into his chair.

She powered up her usual console a few feet down from his, and grabbed a few papers from the pile and a pack of snacks; an action at which he slightly narrowed his eyes but said nothing. She shuffled through the papers and decided which bug to look for, grabbing her favorite red pen with the little gold crown on the clicker from her pocket to mark the papers as she went through them.

"You should keep better track..." she muttered as she marked the papers; some of these bugs had already been worked out! There was no time to waste looking for problems that were already solved.

"Well excuse me, your highness..." he mumbled as he continued where he left off, eyes darting back and forth quickly as he tabbed down line after line of code. "THERE," he very nearly shouted, maneuvering the curser with the arrow keys to the line and fixing the mistake. He had been so close before and hadn't seen it? He peered out his peripheral at the woman who was now straightening the papers and opening a few windows on her monitor. She hadn't even been phased, she was most definitely used to it by now. He extended his arm toward her and wiggled his fingers, demanding the pen she had finished using. She moved it away from him, "You'll lose it." She stated simply, not even looking away from her monitor.

"OH come _on_, I don't have any... I need to keep track, right?" He pouted a bit and turned to stare with his arm out, palm toward her. She sighed and placed it in his hand while stating her only stipulation, "Fine, but give it back immediately."

He smiled a smug little smile and marked the paper. He was glad she was here. She helped him in ways he couldn't explain, and in general he sort of... felt better around her. He returned the pen and began preparing his desktop for the next issue when his partner suddenly collapsed forward, knocking over her chair and scattering the papers she had.

"Meyneth? MEYNETH!" He was hyperventilating and starting to panic. Okay more than starting. Thoroughly panicking. _What do I do?! Don't move her, call for help, check on her, tell someone, get some ice, what do I do? **What do I do?**_ He hit the intercom button and sent a page to the entire station,

"DOCTOR TO THE MAIN PROGRAMMING ROOM, I NEED A DOCTOR IN THE MAIN PROGRAMMING ROOM _NOW_!"  
Everything was in slow motion but time was passing quicker than normal?

He put his coat under her head and looked her over worriedly; she wasn't convulsing and she didn't seem to be hurt... what happened? A doctor came into the room within the next few minutes, and a nurse followed shortly after to help get her to the infirmary.

Klaus couldn't follow since they would have to do tests, he was informed, he could only sit in the waiting room until they were done. Drowning out distractions and emotions had become his specialty over the years, so he decided he would try and do that with work. His time would be better spent working out more issues with their project. It had to be exhaustion or dehydration, something that wasn't too serious and Meyneth should be fine after some rest, he assured himself as he picked up the papers with trembling hands. Looking through the freshly marked papers, he realized there were considerably less issues than he had thought and that reassured him. They might even be able to begin testing by the end of the day! He should've been more excited about that, but there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. He was just worried... uselessly worried! _When I could be getting things done_, he reminded himself. He gulped the rest of his coffee and got back to work.

[ Thank you for reading! This is my first story in a long while, I welcome any comments or suggestions. Please give me the strength to continue writing! ]


	2. Chapter 2

[Please forgive me as I'm re-reading and revising these first two chapters before posting the third and final chapter. Please re-read them if you wish. Thanks for your understanding!]

She awoke with a start, her silver eyes scanning the room as she begun to toss off the white sheet and blanket that covered her. The sterile environment inside the medical facility was so familiar at this point, but still she couldn't find it comfortable. "Doctor..." She began, but he was already pulling back the section of curtains and approaching her bed. He was tall and tan with short cropped black hair, dark brown eyes and wire-rimmed glasses. "Don't move yet," he quietly commanded, turning on his handheld light and waving it in front of her eyes; testing her reflexes, she knew.

"We had to put in a pacemaker," he stated as he continued to confirm that her current state was satisfactory. "It shouldn't interfere with the other supportive instruments in your body, but if you think something is wrong then come back here immediately." He removed the IV and other wires constricting her movement before sliding his glasses off and rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Meyneth... We have to send you back. The pacemaker is a temporary fix but you need major surgery and we can't do it here. You cannot put this off anymore."

Upset didn't even begin to cover it; she was devastated. She knew she shouldn't have delayed her treatments but they were so low on time... Her eyes stung with the tears she couldn't cry, her tear ducts had been damaged ever since she received the ocular implants. "I understand, I'd hoped my... condition wouldn't cause too much of a problem... with all the work that's been done to my body... Soon I'll be more machine than human." She smiled sadly then shifted her legs over the side of the bed and gathered up her belongings that had been brought to the room after the surgery.

"You've done well." He'd returned the glasses to his face and was filling out forms on a clipboard for her dismissal as she stared forward listlessly. "Now it's time to take care of yourself. The shuttle back will leave tomorrow." She nodded and, after thanking him, returned to her quarters. Her mind was racing; the doctor had told her to take it easy but she couldn't help be overwhelmed by the utter frustration and disappointment of having to leave... her team... their project...

_Klaus._

She frowned and shook her head rapidly, as if trying to remove the errant thoughts. _Klaus will be just fine, and he'll make sure the project gets done. _She finished boxing up her clothes and what few belongings she'd been allowed to bring. Suddenly her friend and teammate burst through the door, her short auburn hair tousled and her olive green colored eyes wide behind her thin rectangular glasses. "YOU'RE LEAVING!?" She exclaimed more than asked; she'd never been one for tact.  
Meyneth took a deep breath and nodded. "The doctor says I have to go back..."

"Gee, you really can't even wait? Oh man, what are we gonna do?" She slumped to the floor, panting. She obviously ran here as fast as she could. "There's no way... we might as well go back too!"  
Meyneth sat up and dropped her box, clenching her fists in front of her. "DON'T YOU DARE!" she shouted, startling her friend. Meyneth was too worn down to even entertain such capriciousness, not today. "I'd give anything to be able to stay and finish this with everyone, so don't you dare give up!"

"Meyneth it's impossible, fate's just stacked against us..."

"Get out, I have to pack."

"There's no point in staying if-"

"_Leave!_"

She shut the door behind her friend and rested her forehead on the cool metal. She felt a little guilt, reacting like that, but it was best she kicked her out now than let slip something she really regretted. _How could she say such things... _She wiped her eyes, mostly out of comforting habit, and repacked her things that had fallen onto the floor then sealed the box before leaving her room and heading off to work... for the last time.

She rounded a corner and stopped on her toes, barely avoiding the taller blond man in front of her. "Meyneth! I heard you were released, I... it took you long enough." His speech was haughty as always but he looked relieved... and tired! "We've gotta get to work, let's go." Without thinking, he grabbed her hand and started to drag her along while explaining everything he'd done while she'd been gone.  
"-The containment ring has even been stabilized," he continued, "We'll begin testing today!" He stopped to look back at her; she could feel the heat on her cheeks and she was squeezing his hand tightly.

"Klaus..." She raised her eyes to meet his, almost choking on her words.

He quickly released her hand and stepped away, now blushing himself. "S-sorry, you really should walk faster. Let's-"

"I'm leaving tomorrow." She stared into his eyes and watched the confusion play on his face. "My health is... I can't..." She tried to explain, but her anguish was overwhelming.

"Why?" His forehead was scrunched and he was shaking his head back and forth, trying to make sense of it. "You seem fine, you were released from the clinic. I know you've had some problems before but everyone has a bionic enhancement or two these days. You... You can't just _leave._"

"I don't have a choice..."She tried to smile and hoped she succeeded well enough. "Fate's got it out for me. But I'm here for today, so..."

He averted his gaze then turned away and continued walking, but at a quicker pace. "It doesn't matter, you might as well leave now." His voice was flat, indifferent, dismissive... It rolled off his tongue like an offhand comment.

Her breathing increased nervously and she tried to catch up and reached for his hand, "Klaus, I don't want to but-"

"If you didn't want to, you'd _stay_!" He turned and glared down at her with his icy blue eyes.

**"Just leave, we don't need you."**

His words pierced her heart. She knew it was true, they really didn't need her. They could definitely do this, without her, but it still stung. She watched him disappear into the programming room, the door closing behind him. She bit her lip and considered returning to her room for the remainder of her time there. It was very tempting, just run away and soon she wouldn't have to worry about it anymore; but she knew she'd regret that. _He's just upset..._ she tried to rationalize, walking to the break area to pour a cup of coffee. _This project is everything to him and... Shit!_ She dumped out the coffee she'd poured, remembering one of those forms the doctor gave her that prohibited caffeine and other substances that may affect her heart rate. _It's everything to me too. _She rinsed off the cup and returned it to the cabinet. _It's my project too and I have every right to help as long as I can. His tantrum should be over soon... I'd hate to leave without..._

She steeled herself and reached into her lab coat pocket, nervously clicking her pen as her footsteps echoed down the long hallway on the way to join her team.

[**Author's note:** I'm sorry it took so long, thank you for your patience! I'm afraid I might still have some edits, but I really wanted to post this chapter so please enjoy.]


	3. Chapter 3

[ My apologies for the delay, I've been revising the previous chapters trying to ensure that I conveyed all I wanted- though I'm probably still missing some things. Please re-read the other chapters if you wish, and I hope you enjoy this final installment. I want to dedicate this story to my bronados on Tumblr. Thanks for reading! ]

Key:_  
__Inner thoughts  
_"Dialogue and _stressed dialogue_"  
**Words with inflection**

**..**

_Fate?! __**How absurd**__._ Klaus was in the worst of moods; on some level he knew that he might later regret behaving this way but right now he'd reverted into a sour insecure child. He clenched his fists, his fingernails digging into his palm. The thoughts thrashing around in his mind were overwhelming; _She's just giving up?! - She doesn't think we can finish... She doesn't believe in our work. She doesn't believe in __**me?**__...__**!**__... All this time... Well if she doesn't think it's worth being here, then it's not worth having her._

_We don't need you,_ he replayed in his mind. _(She looked sad...)_ _NO, WHO CARES! SHE'S THE ONE THAT'S LEAVING_. _(Leaving... she's leaving...)_ That stung.  
He staunchly told himself that the team and the admin computer's A.I. was all he needed to finish this. Distress tried to creep into his grieving heart, but his petulance was boundless and left no opening. He'd never dealt well with rejection.

The doors whooshed closed behind him. "Alvis, prepare my station." Klaus articulated as he made his way across the room. He halted mid-stride and focused his gaze on the two scientists standing near the left wall console; the red-haired woman looking frazzled and a taller man with short brown hair and thin wire glasses who also looked quite troubled. More importantly, both were unprepared to begin the day's work. "What are you doing?"

"Haven't you heard...?" the female scientist began, taking a step forward looking seriously concerned. "It was unlikely that we were going to finish anyway," she tried to approach the subject cautiously, "but now that Meyneth is leaving... There's really no point Klaus, let's just-"

"You're wrong." he stated stiffly as he grabbed the marked papers he'd formerly been working with and tried his damndest not to snap at the woman. "We've progressed further than previously assessed, it's not impossible!" His hands were trembling slightly. "We just have to-"

"Klaus, stop." The male scientist stated coldly. "We _can't_ do it; God knows we've done our best until now. You need to accept that it's over."

"It's nobody's fault. It can't be helped, it's just fate." The female scientist added trying to be helpful, as though she was trying to convey they weren't blaming Klaus.

"_Fate_..." Klaus' throat burned. "_God_ knows you tried? Because **I'm** not seeing you try now." His arms had fallen to his sides and he was clenching his hands tightly, crumpling the papers he held. His own team... didn't believe in what they were doing; didn't believe in **him**. _**Give up?!**__ Because SHE's leaving?! ~Meyneth~... If Meyneth were the one staying, would they think differently?_ He raised his eyes, glaring into their own with a cold expression. "You are not dismissed."

"Klaus," the redhead began, "we shouldn't waste any more time-"

"Waste?" Klaus looked at each of his colleagues. "If you don't do your job, I'll ensure that all your time in this field has been a waste. Prepare the phase transition program. Input first scenario parameters. Now."  
His passion... no, his infuriation was the only thing propelling him now and he rejected the thought of failure. _Today I will seize my destiny._

All semblance of emotion was gone from his face and his voice, it was as if he was a completely different person. He was mentally distancing himself. Part of him recognized this, and didn't want to be so emotionally isolated. He wanted to motivate and reassure them but his team had rejected him, Meyneth had left, and his logical side saw no point.  
And he was right, and they couldn't disobey a direct command.  
It was likely that at best, they thought, this stunt would fail and wreck the system; and so they retreated to their free-standing consoles in the middle of the room and prepared to get it over with.

"Station prepared," a smooth, computer generated voice stated. Klaus quickly keyed a few commands into a prompt and entered a password.

"Alvis, open the window." He was fleetingly grateful there was one team member he wouldn't have to threaten into submission. The large panel of glass framed by metal faded from a silvery grey color to become transparent, revealing the orbit trail of the station that looped around their former planet as well as the empty blackness of space.

"Alvis, run and configure scenario XeN001 with controls to the main console."

The large door to the room opened and Meyneth stepped in, still clicking that pen of hers. She was stopped in her tracks by the view of the man standing in front of the main console, inputting information for... _No, he can't be_...-

**"Let's begin the experiment!"** Klaus announced joyfully; he was going to prove that _fate_ and _Gods_ had no place here; that** he** was all this experiment needed to succeed.

Meyneth pulled her hand from her pocket and lurched forward,"**_No!_** The results have not been confirmed! It's too dangerous!" She ran to Klaus and grabbed his right arm trying to pull him away from the console; _What is wrong with him? Why is he doing this? This is-_

"Ridiculous! It's perfectly safe!"

She tried to push herself between Klaus and the console, holding his right wrist in her left hand and grabbing his coat collar with her right hand. _Why... won't he look at me?_

Suddenly he turned to meet her gaze, but something was wrong. His expression was frightening, his eyes glinted with hatred but he had a smile on his face. He grasped her shoulders hard and she flinched, reaching up to pry his hands off. He began speaking and released her with a shove, letting her fall to the floor. She landed hard on her side and grimaced; there was a sharp pain right under her ribs but she stubbornly pushed her palms on the floor and looked up at the man that used her be her teammate.  
"We are about to bear witness the birth of a universe!"  
He rapidly typed on the keyboard sprawled before him as he spoke. "Once, only a god could perform such a miracle. But today, mankind moves one step closer to the divine!"

"Stop, _Klaus_!" She shouted, pulling herself up and reaching for the keyboard in a final attempt to halt this catastrophe but it was too late.

A blinding light exploded from the console with a rumble and rocked the station causing everyone to fall to the floor. Klaus was brought to his senses, for the first time he was aware of exactly how **dangerous** this was... and how he might lose everything. There was a humming sound outside the space station, and the light was making its way around the containment ring. _Something is wrong._ Klaus turned and scrambled to Meyneth who was clutching her chest. He pulled her into an embrace with his trembling hands. "Meyneth, are you-"

"My pacemaker..." She breathed quietly; the light outside dimmed almost completely then began to grow brighter. "Klaus you-" she winced and took a shuddering breath; that's when he realized his hand was warm and covered in-  
"_Blood?!_..." He exhaled sharply and looked down at her coat where about half a red pen was protruding from between her bottom ribs. Klaus felt a lump in his throat.  
"I didn't... I'll get help Meyneth, it will be okay..." Finally he noticed the limp bodies of his comrades, they were... _fading_? The light outside gleamed like the sun until the entire station and nearby planet were enveloped.

"What have I... Meyneth, I'm..." He tried to articulate his thoughts before... whatever was about to happen. "I shouldn't have gotten so upset, I didn't want you to leave me. I-" They were surrounded by the light as well and everything was quiet. There was a sensation that felt like drowning, as the space which they occupied collapsed in on itself, and there was nothing.


End file.
